Downtime
by Clez
Summary: Sam goes home for the weekend to spend a little quality time with her cat, some pizza, and an unexpected guest. :


Slinging the keys on the little glass table gently, she waited with a smile as the small beautiful trotted up to her with a purr. It rubbed its silky body along her leg, and looked up at her with gorgeous intelligent eyes, mewing softly. Its ginger fur shone in the dim light of the hallway, and she reached down and scooped up the animal, holding it close, revelling in the feeling of the rattling from its soft body. Needless to say, the animal was happy she was home.  
  
Giving a pleased sigh, Samantha Carter moved through to the kitchen, scratching the cat on the head with her free hand, her other arm occupied with holding the pet, and set it down gently on the floor, watching the graceful feline leap right up onto the bench.  
  
"You hungry, Schroedinger?" she asked it, her voice light and pleasant.  
  
The cat mewed in response, staring at her with loving eyes, and sat down, lifting a paw as if in a beg. It murmured softly as she laughed at its loving behaviour.  
  
"Did you miss me?" she asked the male cat, petting his head as she removed a can of cat food from the cupboard. "Has Mrs. Rayner been taking care of you, huh?"  
  
A purr was her response, and he rubbed his soft head along her palm in a reply. He licked her finger gently; his rough tongue even a little pleasant compared to what she had been through lately.  
  
With another sigh, she took a fork to the cat food, dicing it up for the feline who waited patiently, washing his long silky fur whilst his dinner was prepared. Adding a few biscuits, she slid it over to him, petting him for a moment as he tucked in to his supper.  
  
She moved to the fridge, and opened the door, her mind drifting.  
  
Narim's face sprung into her thoughts, and her hand hovered over the milk as she remembered the Tollan man. She had given the cat to him on their first meeting, and he had treasured the gift.  
  
Of course, after Tollana had been attacked, Narim had instructed her to take the animal back, to ensure its safety from the air raids from the Goa'uld.  
  
She hadn't heard from Narim since that broken up transmission not long after she and the rest of SG-1 had fled the planet.  
  
That had been a little over a year ago now, and hope was fading that she would ever see his face again, feel his touch, hear his voice. It was hard to admit, but she had loved Narim. Even hearing her own voice coming from his home computer had made her smile.  
  
Snapping back to the present, she grabbed a firm hold of the milk carton, and wandered back over to Schroedinger, who was finishing off his food hungrily, chewing contently on the chunks of jellied meat and crunchy biscuits.  
  
"Here you go, boy," she said, pouring some of the white fluid into a dish by his food bowl, stroking a hand over his long fur. She smiled as he moved happily to the milk, and started lapping it up thirstily.  
  
She laughed. "Maybe I should tell Mrs. Rayner to feed you more often," she mumbled, hopping up onto the bench, reminding herself that she should change. She probably stank of god knew what. She had been working non-stop for pretty much fourty-eight hours, and the idea of some downtime had come as a godsend.  
  
Sam had grabbed the opportunity gladly, conversing briefly with her friends, her workmates.  
  
Colonel O'Neill had -of course- been off on a fishing trip when she'd caught him in the elevator. He had, as always, invited her along, but she'd insisted a little quiet time at home with a book and some television was pretty much exactly what the doctor prescribed for her this weekend. He had smiled, nodded, and headed out of the mountain, tossing the invitation her way one more time, before saying goodbye, and disappearing altogether.  
  
Teal'c was off to Chulak to be with Rayac. The Jaffa took every opportunity he could get to be with his beloved son, and Sam didn't blame him. Their schedule was pretty tight of late, and Teal'c didn't get many chances to run off and spend a little quality bonding time with his child. With the boy's mother gone, Teal'c was -apart from Bra'tac, the boy's mentor- the only thing Rayac had left. Sam had sent her regards, and watched Teal'c head off through the Gate.  
  
And Jonas... well, as per normal, the Kelownan didn't know just what to do with his time off. He had suggested translating a little more of some of the Ancient's language, but Sam had told him that was pretty boring as far as downtime activity went. She had told him to get out of the base, have some fun. He had looked at her blankly with those dark green eyes, and she had smiled.  
  
She wondered if he had got the hint. He knew perfectly well where she lived. No offence to Schroedinger intended, but she needed a little comforting company to sit with, eat with, and talk with. She hated being on her own.  
  
She seemed like a solitary kind of person, but even though she never admitted it, she was afraid of being alone. She had been ever since the death of her mother so many years ago.  
  
The mewing of the cat interrupted her from her reverie, and she looked down from her perched position to see the animal crawling appreciately across her lap, purring madly.  
  
"You liked that?" she teased, scratching his chin as he looked up at her gratefully.  
  
She laughed, letting out a restless breath, and said, "Well, I'm gonna change. I'll be right back, okay?"  
  
It was amazing that the cat seemed to understand, as it mewed lightly in response. Perhaps his time spent with the Tollans had taught him something more than how to eat generous helpings of whatever it was that Narim had been treating him to. When Schroedinger had crossed that event horizon last year, he had looked on the verge of exploding. It had taken Sam quite a while to get the cat's weight back to normal.  
  
Entering her dark bedroom, she flicked on the light, and crossed to the closet, opening the door gently. She stared inside pensively, before reaching in and pulling out a pair of blue jeans, and a large sweater. If she was going to have some downtime, might as well be comfy, she realised.  
  
Dressing quickly, she found herself wondering just what had possessed her to come out in her Air Force gear anyway. True, there had been no insignia on her clothing, but who knew what would have sprung into people's minds as she drove home? Maybe her leather jacket had covered the clothes?  
  
With a shrug, she tossed the clothes onto her bed, reminding herself subconsciously that she needed to return the fatigues back to the base at the soonest opportunity.  
  
Before she could write herself a note, there was a knock at the door. She heard the jingle of Schroedinger's bell as he ran to the front door, and Sam furrowed her brow lightly.  
  
Who could that be?  
  
She exited the bedroom, and jogged carefully down the stairs in her socks, and moved to the front door.  
  
She was forced to scoop the cat up in her arms so that she didn't hit him with the door, but when she opened the door fully, a smile touched her face.  
  
"Jonas," she said in greeting, "hi. Um... come in."  
  
The young Kelownan hovered for a minute, before nodding, and entering. He looked at the cat in her arms, even as the animal stretched out a paw in invitation to the stranger. It mewed.  
  
"Say hello to Schroedinger," Sam laughed, placing the cat down on the ground, and watching with a smile as the animal immediately moved over to Jonas, and started rubbing his leg, purring loudly in greeting.  
  
"Oh, right," Jonas acknowledged, "the cat."  
  
Sam remembered then that Jonas had pretty much memorised SG-1's mission reports, including the one that detailed their first encounter with the Tollans. That report included the part where Sam had given the cat to Narim.  
  
Jonas crouched, and stroked the cat, which seemed very happy to reciprocate the gesture of greeting. He looked practically ecstatic at the prospect of a new friend. The ginger tabby purred louder than Sam had heard in a long while... at least around visitors.  
  
"I think he likes you," Sam noted, crossing her arms over her body.  
  
Jonas laughed. "Yeah." He stood, his hands in his pockets, and looked around.  
  
Sam shook her head suddenly, laughing. "I'm sorry, come through to the living room." As they moved, she called back to him, "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to come by."  
  
"Is it a bad time?" Jonas asked as he arrived in the living room after Sam.  
  
"No, don't be silly. Here, give me your jacket," she offered, reaching out a hand, and watching as Jonas removed his coat and passed it to her.  
  
She took it, and went to the closet, hanging it inside, and looking back at Jonas for a moment. He stood right in the middle of the living room, hands in jeans pockets, looking around curiously at Sam's home.  
  
She closed the closet, and noticed that Schroedinger was sitting at Jonas' feet, staring up at him in expectation.  
  
Sam smiled, moving into the living room, and asking, "Can I get you a drink or something to eat?"  
  
"Sure," Jonas replied, nodding slightly.  
  
Sam led the way into the kitchen, and looked in the fridge. "Okay..." she began, considering the contents of her refrigerator, "I've got beer." She looked at him then, shrugging. "I think a visit to the grocery store is in order."  
  
He laughed. "That's fine."  
  
"I see you've built up quite a tolerance for beer," Sam joked, handing him a bottle after removing the cap, taking one for herself, and closing the fridge.  
  
Jonas cocked his head. "We had something similar on Kelowna."  
  
"Oh, really?" Sam ventured, but smiled when she realised she wasn't going to get a response. He stood there quietly, simply smiling.  
  
"Are you hungry?" she asked suddenly, unable to stand the silence.  
  
Jonas sighed. "Sure."  
  
That's twice he's said that, she thought, and moved to the cupboards.  
  
"Okay, I think I need to call for a pizza," she announced, closing the cupboard. "Unless you like cat food?"  
  
Jonas laughed.  
  
"That's a no. Okay then," Sam began, picking up the phone, and speed dialled the pizza place. She realised how sad it could be considered to have the pizza take away on speed dial. Hey, she was a busy woman.  
  
After ordering, she hung up the phone, and took a swig of beer. "Pizza's on its way." At Jonas' nod, she continued, "So, how did you get here anyway?"  
  
"Doctor Fraiser was heading home and she offered to give me a lift," Jonas explained, petting Schroedinger as the animal leapt once again onto the counter, begging for attention from this newcomer.  
  
Sam smiled. With that, she led the way back into the living room, and took a seat on her favourite armchair, sinking quite a way into it.  
  
Jonas seated himself a little tentatively on the couch, setting his beer on the coffee table.  
  
After they had settled into silence, Sam's mind started to drift again as she stared blankly into the empty fireplace. Her thoughts crashed through her busy head, each one blending with the next until there was a cacophony of images and sound.  
  
"So how does it feel?"  
  
The voice interrupted her thoughts, and she snapped back to reality, looking over at Jonas. "Pardon?"  
  
"To know that another Goa'uld is dead," Jonas continued, looking her right in the eye.  
  
Sam took a deep breath in as she thought, before finally saying, "It feels... well, same as always. One down... so many to go."  
  
Schroedinger jumped onto the arm of the chair, and then planted himself directly on Sam's lap comfortably, padding for a while before settling down, purring, and curling up warmly on her legs. She stroked him absent-mindedly.  
  
"Yeah, but, one so..." Jonas hesitated for a moment, searching his mind for a word before saying, "I don't know, annoying might be the word."  
  
Sam couldn't stop the smile.  
  
"One so annoying and deadly as Nirrti... to know she's not going to hurt anyone again must bring you some sense of satisfaction," Jonas said gently, leaning forward on the couch, leaning his arms on his knees.  
  
Sam nodded. "I suppose you're right. After all she's done, I'm glad she's dead."  
  
"Well," Jonas added, "I only met her once, and I'm happy she's gone." He smiled, the expression fading after a moment.  
  
Sam looked to the Kelownan in pensive curiousity, and she found herself asking, "What exactly happened back there between you two?"  
  
Jonas slumped back into the couch, and shrugged. "I'm not sure. She discovered I was different, and wanted to use me in her research."  
  
"And what did you say?"  
  
"Are you kidding? I said, given half the chance, I'd use the power to destroy her," Jonas replied seriously, staring straight ahead. There was something in his eyes that Sam did not recognise, and she wasn't sure if it frightened her or not.  
  
"I bet she wasn't too happy about that," Sam said quietly, running her hand softly over Schroedinger's soft fur.  
  
Jonas laughed. "No, not really. In fact, my head still hurts after that."  
  
Sam smiled, looking to her friend, and sighing. "Well, at least she's finally gone. And we know that everything she did to those poor people is going to be reversed."  
  
"And the machine will be destroyed," Jonas added, reaching forward and taking a hold of his beer.  
  
"Exactly," Sam mumbled in agreement, shuddering at the memory of just how close to death she was as she lay in that cell. She banished the thought, and heard the sound of a car pulling up outside. "Sounds like the pizza is here."  
  
"That was quick," Jonas noted, even as Sam removed the cat from her lap, and moved to retrieve some money from her bag.  
  
"Yeah, I'm good a picking the fastest take away places in town," she told him with a smile.  
  
Jonas nodded with a smile, and sat on the edge of the sofa.  
  
As Sam answered the door, and gave the delivery boy his money, she realised just how good life was sometimes. As she accepted the pizza, thanking the man, she thought how enjoyable it could be if you just sat back with a good take away, some good company, and some peace and quiet after all the chaotic events of a hard week's work.  
  
She set the pizza down on the table, and seated herself on the floor in front of the fireplace, giving her cat a quick loving scratch on the head.  
  
With a sigh of contentment, she settled down to her dinner. 


End file.
